Chapter Sixty-Four: Apologies, Wrongs Made Right

"It has been three days since the battle that transpired inside the famous Mammoth Cave system in the Appalachians of Kentucky."

A female reporter sat behind a news desk. She held a stack of papers in her hand.

"There is still little known about what transpired during the battle itself. All that has been told is that the Justice League alongside several other Hero groups faced off against, and defeated Klarion the Witchboy, as well as an army of his minions. An army that a Justice League spokesman has claimed to be "responsible for the events that transpired months ago when Trigon the Terrible broke into our dimension.""

"While there is speculation about the meaning behind those words, for now, all that we know is that the threat posed by the demon overlord's army has been neutralized once and for all."

"In other news, rebuilding efforts continue to go well in-"

Click!

Batman switched off the channel on his holographic screen. He gave a massive sigh as he rubbed his temple under his mask as he sat back in his chair. "So, to get this straight, this whole time we were playing along with Klarion the Witchboy's scheme to acquire the helmet of Nabu."

Superman nodded his head. "Yeah."

"That boy took control of me and several others in our ranks. Played the majority of you for fools all along. And made us think these two were the villains we were trying to capture all as a part of his elaborate scheme." Batman continued, pointing to Beast Boy and Raven, who were also in the room, alongside the members of the Justice League, the Doom Patrol, and a few of the Young Justice members as well.

"Yeah," Superman said again. He was grimacing this time though.

"And he would have succeeded and turned our universe into his own personal playground too, had it not been for these two heroes going into the helmet of Nabu and stopping him for all of us?" Batman then asked.

…

Superman thought about it for a second. "Yeah. I believe that's what happened. Not like I was in the helmet myself." He shrugged. "Actually, I was out for a little bit after Klarion beat us. Diana?"

"Don't look at me." Wonder Woman stated from where she was seated. "I was knocked out just like you until I was awoken by J'onn."

The Martian Manhunter sat stoically in his seat. Miss Martian was smiling next to her uncle though. And Superboy held her hand in his.

Beast Boy was also grinning widely, and Raven's smile looked smug.

"I did not witness the fight in the helmet personally." J'onn J'onzz said. "However, I did see these two battle against Klarion. And I also saw them enter a portal Zatanna made for them. I then saw them come out of the same type of portal after the helmet of Nabu exploded off the Witchboy's head.

"I do believe that this, alongside all the evidence of Klarion's schemes which we acquired from the few intact hard drives inside his hideout, is more than enough to prove the innocence of these two Heroes." The martian hero finished clearly.

"You're welcome for that, by the way." Blue Beetle leaned back in his chair next to Superboy, looking pleased with himself.

…

Batman sighed again as he turned to face the two young heroes. He was trying to remain stoic, but even he couldn't deny how embarrassing it felt to be taken control of… again. Especially after the first time had seen all of the Justice League taken control of.

It was likely that, after this, he was going to work on something that'd protect himself from mind control, whether through technical means, magical means, or a mixture of both.

For now though…

"I'm… sorry, for what happened these last few months. We were… definitely in the wrong, with our actions." He admitted, albeit gruffly.

"Oh yeah, it's totallllllllly fine dude. It's not like me and Rae lost months of our lives trying to evade capture and all that. And it's not like our reputation as Heroes is completely shot or anything.

"And it's not like we didn't have to deal with any stressful life-threatening scenarios or the threat of being thrown into hell or having our friends turned against us or any of that.

"Yeah, it's totally like none of that ever happened, dude. It's all goooooood and brushed under the rug now." Beast Boy finished, using a tone so sarcastic and barbed that it made Raven proud of him.

She couldn't have said it any better herself.

…

"You know, I'm surprised this whole experience didn't turn the two of them into villains." Superboy idly commented to himself.

"I almost thought it'd turned you and some of our other friends into villains," M'gann admitted sadly to her boyfriend.

He flashed her a smile though, and she smiled back. Jaimes gagged in his seat next to them.

The two teenagers would be alright for now.

"Yes, if even half of what I've learned about since being put to sleep is true, they would have been more than justified in that regard." Wonder Woman said, her arms crossed over her chest as she glared at Superman.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault I was forced to try and kill them." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"My son would never become evil! You should have realized that from the start!" Rita raised an arm in outrage.

Mento grabbed her arm delicately and helped her lower it back down. They were still bandaged up from their injuries, after all. And the last thing they needed to do was reopen their wounds.

"Though, if you think about it, it was us younger Heroes that learned the truth well before the rest of you." Superboy idly commented, his arms crossed over his chest. "Talk about sad. Especially when the world's greatest detective is before us."

…

All the Heroes in the room stared at Batman, who shifted around in his spot uncomfortably.

"I… can see about clearing their names without making the rest of us look bad." He said gruffly.

"And…" Aquaman said after that.

Batman sighed again. "And I'll make it public that we made a mistake in hunting the two."

"Which will definitely make us look bad." Wonder Woman smirked.

Batman scowled, but it appeared this was going to be a pill they had no choice but to swallow.

The media was going to have a field day with this, no doubt.

"Come on, you can at least allow them to drive around in the Batmobile for a day." Black Canary then said.

"What?!" Batman reeled back in shock.

"A week sounds much better to me, actually." Beast Boy grinned widely.

"Garfield." Raven nudged him in the side, hard. "Don't make it that easy for him."

"Fine, fine, a year." Beast Boy rolled his eyes as he smiled widely.

"He might as well just give it to you at that point." Superman crossed his arms as he smirked widely. "It's not like Bats here doesn't have the money to make five more."

"I… you… urghghghghgh…" Batman grumbled and held his arms to himself.

There was no way this was actually real. Why did he have to wake up to this mess? Why was this his life?

Oh, yeah, because he was Batman. That's why.

"The universe is recovering nicely anyway." Red Tornado spoke next with a shrug. "In a couple of years, it'll be as if Trigon the Terrible never tried to make a move in the first place."

"Yes, the Green Lantern corps is doing all it can to help others out." Hal Jordan spoke up. "It shouldn't take long for them to terraform the rest of the planets destroyed by Trigon's minions and begin the process of moving those displaced back onto them."

"All's well that ends well, huh." Wonder Woman finally smiled. "Not bad if the cost turns out to be one vehicle."

…

Batman glanced at white Raven. "You can just forget us ever mentioning wanting to exile you two to Outer Perdition."

"I already have," Raven replied in a sarcastic tone.

"I'll forget as soon as I'm holding the keys and driving my new baby around." Beast Boy held his hand out with a grin.

It turned out, he was in fact serious about wanting the Batmobile.

"... And I'd just upgraded the suspension on it too." Batman sighed to himself. He had a feeling they'd be living this down for years to come.

"Don't be too hard on the man, son," Mento spoke up then, resting a hand on Beast Boy's shoulder. "After all, it wasn't his fault he was under another villain's control."

"Oh, I know." Beast Boy grinned widely. "But do you know how epic it'd be to have my own personal Bat Mobile from the man himself?!"

Raven groaned as she rolled her eyes, but Elastagirl and the rest of the Doom Patrol laughed along with Beast Boy. Some of the Justice Leaguers in the room also laughed while Batman continued to scowl.

"Well, in that regard, we can't really blame the rest of the Justice League either, since it was Zatanna who was pulling everyone's strings from the start." Raven drawled out monotonously.

"Yes, even if she did nearly die facing off against Klarion." Elastagirl got up and hugged the two teenagers from behind. "She is going to have to face some consequences for what she did."

"And she will." Wonder Woman promised. "Once we've sorted out this whole mess."

"... then again," Raven continued, after thinking to herself for a moment. The words made Elastagirl let go of them in response and Wonder Woman looked at her. "It wasn't like Zatanna herself wasn't under Klarion's control either."

"But was it to the same level as Bats and your friends?" Aquaman asked seriously.

"Probably not. But then, almost all of you would fall under that same umbrella too," Raven said, gesturing to the known members in the room who'd been under some form of manipulation due to the Witchboy's spells.

…

The Justice Leaguers shifted in their seats uncomfortably. Beast Boy was looking at his girlfriend in surprise.

"I'm not saying she shouldn't still be punished. None of this wouldn't have happened if not for her." Raven then continued. "However, I don't want to hear about her being thrown into Hell or some prison dimension or whatever.

"I'm not that cruel."

…

"..." Elastagirl sighed behind them, and Mento rested a hand in hers. "I'd be fine with burying the hatchet myself. So long as the Justice League left us and our operations alone."

"Yo, can we please go back to our base already so I can get my arm replaced?!" Cliff yelled boisterously where he was sitting. He'd at least been cleaned up since the battle, but parts of his chest plate were still missing, as well as his entire right arm.

"What, and then go back to video games?" Larry voiced boredly beside him.

"Hell yeah!" Cliff grinned while raising his other hand for a high five.

"Pass." Larry didn't even acknowledge the gesture.

A few of the people nearby chuckled, and Beast Boy smiled widely at the sight. Raven herself smiled a little, seeing Beast Boy smile.

Ksch!

The doors to the room then opened, and the Heroes all turned to see Zatanna herself walking in. Zatara walked in behind her, holding the Helmet of Nabu in his hands. The most powerful sorceress in the world had both of her arms wrapped in casts. And a tight bandage was wrapped around her chest and around the top of her head.

She'd stayed in the Watchtower's Healing Room for a while, but only long enough so her injuries weren't life-threatening. She would have to wait until the other Justice Leaguers that were absent, as well as the younger Heroes from the Teen Titans and the Young Justice, had finished healing their wounds.

She hadn't been placed last by anybody. She just felt too guilty about everything that'd happened to want to do it. Especially as the pain gave her an opportunity to reflect on how her actions had hurt everyone else.

"I've… finished, fixing the memories of your friends, using some techniques Nabu taught me." She admitted in a slow, pained voice.

"So they'll be back to normal?" Raven asked dryly.

"Y, Yes. It'll be as if, the last few months, never happened in their minds." She continued. "They won't ever remember fighting you, or betraying you, urgh." Zatanna nearly collapsed, and it was only thanks to Zatara summoning a chair out of thin air for her that she was able to sit down.

Raven and Beast Boy's faces sank with relief. It was easy to tell just how much this meant to the pair. And then, Beast Boy's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Rae! With all this, we might actually be able to go back to Jump City! We can go back to relaxing, fighting bad dudes, eating pizza with the rest of the team,"

"Gar, I don't think it'll be that simple-" Raven tried to interrupt.

"Having late game nights with Cyborg, making out with each other on the couch, pranking Robin and Starfire together…" Beast Boy continued to list things one after another.

Wonder Woman tried to interject as well, saying it wouldn't be so simple. That the Justice League was going to have to put in the work first to clear their names and everything. But the green boy could not be stopped by the older heroine or his girlfriend. His happiness and excitement knew no bounds, and Raven could feel it very clearly beside him.

Some of the things he said made her blush, or groan. But it also made her feel excited at the prospect of returning home, after so long…

It'd been a long time since she'd considered anywhere to be home. But… if they could return to the Teen Titans… if they could return to their friends... that'd make her feel…

"While my daughter was fixing your friends up, I finished talking to Nabu," Zatara said. "And he says that after seeing you in action, he is still willing to make the switch if you desire."

…

…

…

…

There was a long period of silence at his remark. Even Beast Boy had stopped talking, his face twisted in confusion. All the members of the Justice League looked from Zatara to Raven in confusion.

"What… what switch?" Beast Boy finally asked. "What is he talking about, Rae?"

…

"Ra… Raven?" Beast Boy asked again worriedly.

Raven looked down at her lap. Right, she'd been afraid that this would come back up.

"Nabu… needs a magical host, in order to operate in our world." She carefully explained.

"And… apparently, I'd be the perfect host for him."

"A young prodigy with nearly endless potential." Zatara agreed. "Just like my daughter. But perhaps even more so, with what he tells me about what you managed to pull off."

…

Raven didn't respond. She only tilted her head to look at Gar, who was staring at her in shock.

"Rae… you… you wouldn't, right? N… Not when you, you don't have to…"

…

Raven didn't immediately respond.

And it was too late for her to realize what her hesitation would convey to her green boyfriend.

"No, NO! YOU CAN'T BE!" Beast Boy exploded in rage.

"Wait, Gar-!" She opened her mouth to try and say something, anything to him, but Beast Boy had already bolted out of his chair. A green peregrine falcon flew out of the room, quickly leaving her empathic range.

"Gar!" She yelled after him.

But he'd already disappeared from view.

But she could feel the waves of anger, as well as hurt and betrayal he'd left in his wake. No doubt, she'd be able to follow them to him.

Yet she stood in the middle of the room, frozen, her face showing shock at what'd just occurred.

"I… I just wanted to say I wasn't sure…" She whispered to herself.

She wasn't sure what to do. It seemed obvious that she wanted to go home. She'd give anything if it meant putting all of this behind them…

…

But if she took up the offer to become Doctor Fate… he wouldn't have to be stuck with her… her friends wouldn't have to ever worry about her… she'd… she'd…

She'd…

…

…

Be very unhappy. And Gar would be too.

...

...

Everyone else in the room sat in silence. Zatanna stared down at her lap, full of guilt and pain. No joking came from Superboy or Blue Beetle. M'gann simply looked sad at the situation.

"Raven…" Zatara finally broke the silence, taking in a deep breath. "What is it that you want?"

Raven finally turned to face the older man and his daughter. "What?"

Zatara stared back at her, his face a mask of emotion. Underneath was a calmness that not even Raven could pierce.

"Your friends remember you still, but it is still possible to modify their memories so they'd forget about you if you decided to become Doctor Fate." Zatara continued in his calm tone. "It'd allow them to live their lives as normal… and it'd allow me to be reunited with my daughter." He rested a hand on Zatanna's shoulder, but the sorceress didn't look up at him.

…

"What… what you're suggesting though…" Rita wanted to speak up, yet she was so shocked by it.

"Isn't that a terrible thing to do?" Mento finished for his wife.

"Yes, it is." Zatara agreed solemnly. "It is only what Nabu has suggested. It would be up to Raven if that is what she wants.

"Being Doctor Fate is a lifelong commitment. We all know too well by now the pain it causes for those related to the wielder." Zatara looked down at his daughter again, this time with eyes full of pity. "Perhaps it would be better to erase those prior memories... if only so they don't have to live with such great pain for the rest of their lives."

...

Everyone in the room looked from the old man to the former demoness. Who was now looking down at the floor.

Part of her wanted to say no just to spite Zatanna.

Another part couldn't help but take pity on the sorceress and her Father.

Yet another part didn't want to let go of her friends. To abandon them and make them forget she ever existed. That the things they'd gone through together hadn't mattered…

And Beast Boy… Garfield Mark Logan…

She couldn't leave him. Never. Even if it was for the sake of the world.

And yet… would he be happy with someone like her for the rest of his life?

'What should I do…?'

…

…

Raven waited for a response from her mind, only to get none.

Right, she'd become whole again. She no longer had her emoticlones to ask for advice. She'd have to work through all of her emotions on her own from now on.

…

…

Superboy finally stood up from his seat. He let go of M'gann's hand as he took a deep breath and turned towards Zatanna, who was still looking down at the floor from her chair.

"Zatanna, what is it that you want?" The young hero asked.

"... huh?" The sorceress looked up slowly, briefly surprised that Connor was addressing her. After what she'd done to him and the others…

"This all started with your mess. So why? What is it that you want from all of this?" Superboy asked directly.

…

"I… I want… I wanted…"

…

Zatanna looked uncertain. She looked up at her dad with a lost look on her face. He stared back at her, his mask still in place.

"I… I wanted… my dad back." She admitted. "I missed him… so… so much…

"Seeing him every day... yet not being able to see him... hurt. It hurt... it hurt..."

"I was so lost… I felt so alone without him… I wanted my family back. I wanted our lives back…"

…

…

Zatanna finally looked from her dad to Raven. A look of clarity finally appeared in her eyes. "Six months ago, I wouldn't have cared.

"I would have done anything to have my dad back. To have him relieved of Doctor Fate's burden so I could hug him, and tell him how grateful I am to have been raised by him, to be able to call him my Father…"

…

…

"Yet… now…"

Zatara finally rested his other hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up. His mask broke as he gave his daughter, who was on the verge of crying, a sincere, loving, smile.

"I will be fine with whatever choice you make, my daughter," Zatara said in a voice full of love and care for her. "Your memories of our time together are my memories too.

"And I treasure them more than anything else in the world."

Zatanna faced Raven again. Tears filled her eyes, and she shook her head repeatedly. "I can't allow you to become Nabu's next bearer! Not when you have more to lose than me!"

Raven took a step back at Zatanna's outburst. "I thought you were nothing but a cold-hearted demon for the longest time. Yet, all you did was prove me wrong. And, you actually found someone who loves you, who'll do anything for you!"

"As much as I want my dad back, as much as it'd pain me to see him parading around as Doctor Fate and not being able to even give him a hug… it'd be worse if you became Nabu's bearer than if my dad did." Zatanna tearfully admitted. "It'd be worse to erase all those memories I saw from Richard and your other friends.

"They all cared for you so much. You're just as much a family to them as my Father is to me!"

Raven didn't respond. So great was her surprise at Zatanna's words.

Superman then rested a hand on her shoulder, catching her attention. "It's not often I'll admit this, but that green boyfriend of yours had it in him to beat me in a fight."

"I'd say you got yourself quite the catch." He told her with a smile.

"Oh really, that green twig of a man actually beat you? Why did I have to miss that?" Wonder Woman asked with a roll of her eyes.

"Actually, I got it all on camera," Batman remarked, a smirk finally appearing on his lips,

"What?" Superman turned around incredibly quickly.

However, Batman already had the necessary video pulled up on the holographic screen. It started to show the film of the Beast epically fighting and taking down Superman. It'd obviously been edited of course to show the highlights and not the entire battle.

The large man's eyes bugged out. "What the- I THOUGHT YOU WERE UNDER KLARION'S CONTROL THE WHOLE TIME!?"

"I was. But that doesn't mean I didn't remember recording this for… educational purposes." Batman's smirk turned into a grin.

"Wha- HOW?!" Superman screamed.

"Because I'm Batman. That's how."

Green Arrow, whose arm was in a sling, started to laugh as Superman was shown being punched by the Beast repeatedly. "Holy hell, I thought I was put through the wringer when I faced him!"

"Yeesh, I'm really glad we never had to face him," Aquaman smirked as he fist-bumped the Flash.

"Yeah, definitely." The Flash responded with a grin. "Though I wouldn't mind trying to race that thing."

"Maybe I could see about outswimming it instead," Aquaman responded with a grin of his own.

Wonder Woman and all the other Justice Leaguers as well as the Doom Patrol began to laugh as well. "Holy, why did I have to sleep through this?!"

"It isn't real! It's fake!" Superman screamed, yet Wonder Woman didn't stop laughing.

"Blackmail!" Superman screeched again.

The recording showed Superman high up in the air as lightning struck him.

"Ahahahahaha!" Wonder Woman began laughing even harder.

Superman screeched as he tried to stop the recording, only for Batman to pull out Kryptonite from his belt and hold it in front of him. "Bats, this isn't fair!"

"At least wait until I'm done uploading the backups of my backups of this recording before you delete it," Batman replied.

"WHAT?!"

"Blackmail, perfect for Batman." The hero responded.

Superman continued to scream in embarrassment as his worst defeat was played out before everyone's eyes for laughs.

Even Raven was chuckling a little bit seeing it. Even though she knew the context behind the battle… and…

She stared closely at the Beast in the frame as it landed on the ground at the end of the battle.

It turned to look at Superman, then it harrumphed and began to lumber away only to hear Superman groan and look back at him again.

At first, there was murderous intent in his eyes… but then, it was replaced with Beast Boy's eyes.

But then, Raven realized, that wasn't it at all.

Beast Boy's eyes had been there that whole fight. And as the recording looped and showed the fight all over again, she saw that was right. It hadn't been just Beast Boy or the Beast.

It'd been the two of them, together. Fighting hard for her sake…

…

She looked down at her hands, thought to herself for a moment, and then turned around to face the doorway.

Zatanna had stood up, and her dad was hugging her close. "I'm so proud of you, my daughter."

"I… I know." She looked up into his face, finally managing to give the man who raised her a genuine smile.

He returned that smile and laid a kiss on her forehead. "Don't worry. I'll discuss things with Nabu. I'm certain I can convince him to let me take off the helmet in the future when it's not necessary for me to be Doctor Fate.

"He might still be Nabu... but I get the feeling what happened inside the Helmet has changed him somewhat. He seems more... benevolent than he was before."

Zatara wiped away a tear from her eye. "And… if you can't?" She asked him sadly. "If he hasn't changed?"

His smile didn't drop. "Then I will still be as proud of my daughter as I am now."

Zatanna sniffled and rested her head on his shoulder again. "Th… Thank you for these last few days, Papa. If… if nothing changes, I'll value them for the rest of my life."

Zatara didn't say anymore. He kissed his daughter on the head one more time, and then he put the Helmet of Nabu back on.

The change was quick, far quicker than when Klarion had done so. It was only moments later that Nabu, or Doctor Fate, stood before them again.

He said nothing to Raven, merely nodding at her with respect in his gaze.

Zatanna turned around and, though still pained from her injuries and the loss of her Father all over again, smiled at the other sorceress in the room. The one that, in the end, was far more powerful than she'd been.

"Go get him." She said, gesturing with her head to the door.

Superboy and Miss Martian smiled as they appeared at Raven's sides. "Find him and make things right."

"Make our son happy," Rita said with a smile as her hands rested on Raven's shoulders.

Mento was not allowed to try and debate it, as Rita nudged him hard in his sore rib cage beforehand.

Raven looked at them all, nodded her head in gratitude, and then ran on down the hallway.

…

"No, we're not going to blow up the Watchtower." Blue Beetle suddenly commented to himself in his seat.

Superboy gave his friend a weird look. "What?" Jaimes asked.

"You really need to get your mind checked out sometime, man." Superboy shook his head.

"Hey, you try living with a sociopathic beetle in your head 24/7!" Blue Beetle refuted.

Connor rolled his eyes but began smiling again after interweaving his fingers with M'gann's. "You feel good enough to go on a date?"

"After everything that's happened… I'd be more than happy to do that." The green woman smiled brightly.

The two left the room, where the other Heroes were still laughing watching Superman's battle against the Beast. While Doctor Fate had a discussion with Zatanna about the future.

Hopefully, it would all work out in the end.

Beast Boy stood on a balcony of the Watchtower, staring off into space.

'Beast, are you there?'

'Please, I really need to talk to you right now.'

…

…

There was no response from his mind. It felt like every animal inside of him was laying on the ground. Too depressed to move or anything.

'Beast, please! Talk to me, dude! I really need you!'

'I-I'll eat meat if I have to! Just please, talk to me!'

…

…

The Beast still didn't respond.

It was like his presence was just… gone.

Beast Boy transformed into the Beast and looked down at his large paws.

Complete control. There was nothing there to fight him or work alongside him.

It was just him…

'Beast?...'

It was just him…

…

Beast Boy sniffled as he changed back into his human form. He held his face in his hands as he leaned against the railing while trying not to cry.

After everything they'd done… everything they'd sacrificed… all those hardships… all that time…

He was alone… all over again…

…

…

"Why… why does every hero love story end in tragedy?" Beast Boy quietly asked himself.

'I don't know… what we'd do if mate chose the path given to her.' He tried his best to mimic a conversation with the Beast would respond… yet it didn't feel right.

He continued with it anyway. "What if all those times we shared together don't sway her? What if… what if we're all alone after this again?"

'I don't know… I don't know what to feel. If Rae chooses to become Doctor Fate…'

He felt anger spike in him for only a few seconds, before it disappeared all at once.

"It'd be worse than when Terra became stone… because Raven would still be alive. But I'd never be able to be with her.

"Never be able to hold her in my arms. To tell her how much I love her. How much I cared for her. How much I want to grow old together with her. To share my life with her. To be there when she needs a shoulder to cry on. To hug her when she feels lonely. To take care of her when she's sick or feeling unwell."

Beast Boy sadly sighed. He wasn't trying to mimic a conversation with the Beast anymore.

Rather, he was facing the issue himself. Head on. What it'd mean if he couldn't see Raven again.

He'd grown up enough, and learned enough about Love, to know why he'd regret it if he was never able to see Rae again.

"I love her… more than myself, or anything else in this world. And the thing I want most is to make her happy."

Would she be happier as Doctor Fate than being with him? The green idiot didn't know. Yet if that was what she chose…

…

He hung his head. He didn't know if he could let her go if she made that choice.

He didn't know if he could accept it if she made that choice…

…

…

…

As he stood there pondering, he sensed a presence behind him. He turned around, to tell whatever hero had entered the balcony area to leave him alone… only for the words to die in his throat.

It was Raven.

…

She didn't have the Helmet of Nabu on.

She was oddly silent, looking down at the floor. The top of her face was covered in shadow, keeping him from seeing her expression.

"R… Raven?" He asked unsurely.

"..." The green boy gulped as she drew closer, gliding just an inch off the ground toward him.

She didn't say anything even as she stopped in front of him, and looked up into his eyes.

Her purple irises drew him in. He released a breath, unsure what to say, unsure how to act…

SLAP!

Thus, he didn't see the pale hand until it'd slapped him across the face, hard.

"OW!" He held the side of his face in shock. Then he looked at his girlfriend, who stared impassively at him, with a look of anger. "What the hell was that for dude!?"

"That… was for running out earlier and leaving me by myself to choose whether to become Doctor Fate or not." She replied monotonously.

…

"Okay… I guess I deserved that." Beast Boy replied sheepishly while rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

She rolled her eyes in response and then grabbed the idiot boy by the collar before bringing him in for a nice, long kiss.

The action caught him completely off guard. Yet he happily accepted it and wrapped his arms around her.

All those bad thoughts in his mind seemed to disappear under the light of a bright, sunny day.

...

After a moment, they separated for air. "What… what was that for?" He asked dreamily.

"That was because I chose you."

Beast Boy shook his head and stared down at her. She was smiling a little bit now. And it looked absolutely beautiful on her.

He went from dreamy to surprised, and then to joyful.

"Dude!" He yelled happily before hugging her tight.

Despite the strength behind the hug, she hugged him back just as tightly. Small tears of relief escaped her eyes.

"Green dork." She muttered.

"Pale dork." He muttered back.

"I agree. We're both dorks." She said.

"You got that right Rae. And I love it." He said in return.

No, this wasn't a tragedy. Nor was this an ending. Rather, it was the beginning of another journey for the pair.

One that'd be happier, still with its complications and its ups and downs, but something they'd be able to share together.

The two young Heroes were incredibly happy, and they wished they could stay in this moment forever…

"Yo, what the hell happened to my head?" They look up while still hugging and saw Cyborg stumble through the door.

Robin and Starfire walked down the hallway beside him almost loopily. "I feel the dizzy," Starfire said unsurely. "Robin, where are we?"

"I, I don't kn… wait, are we in the Watchtower?" Robin asked as he looked around more closely. "Why are we here?" He added.

"Why am I sooooo hungry?" Cyborg asked.

"And why do I have the ring on my finger?" Starfire asked, looking curiously at her left hand.

Robin looked at his girlfriend when she said those words, and his eyes boggled at the engagement ring Starfire was wearing. When the hell had that happened?! And who had…

His eyes widened again, this time in terror, as he saw he was wearing the same exact engagement ring as well! "Robin-" Starfire turned, only to find the young man with his hands behind his back, whistling casually while throwing the ring he'd ripped off into one of the belt's pockets on the back.

"W-Who knows Star. Perhaps you should take it off." Robin quickly suggested, sweat adorning his face like a wet blanket.

"Ooh, but it looks the pretty! I think I shall do the keeping of it!" Starfire's eyes shined brightly as she looked the precious stone over from multiple directions.

'REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!' You could almost see Robin dying on the inside as he tried to not throw himself on the floor and scream.

"Wait a sec…" Cyborg finally noticed Beast Boy and Raven hugging each other. And both his cybernetic and real eyes went wide. "Man, I must really be seeing things! Cause I see Beast Boy and Raven hugging each other!"

The two separated then, both with smiles on their faces. "No Cyborg, you aren't seeing things," Raven said as she gripped her boyfriend's hand.

"We've just become that close now is all." Beast Boy affirmed with happiness clearly evident in his tone.

…

Robin looked slack-jawed, completely forgetting about the ring problem. And Starfire was beaming with happiness.

"What the hell happened to you two!?" Robin asked. Beast Boy looked taller than before. And Raven was not only dressed in her white uniform, but she was genuinely happy and looked it!

"Eeeeeee!" Starfire looked like she was about to explode with excitement.

"Why the heck is my little sis wearing white and smiling!?-" Cyborg was asking when he stopped. "Wait a moment, my systems are telling me it's September!? I thought it was February!"

Beast Boy and Raven both chuckled, realizing that Zatanna was right that their friends had no memories at all of the last few months.

"What the heck is going on?!" Cyborg put his hands to his head as steam burst out of it from the confusion of everything compiling on top of each other.

"You know what dudes." Beast Boy started.

"Let's just say-" Raven then said.

"-that it'd probably be-"

"-a long story." Raven finished.

...

Both of them looked at each other… and then laughed together.

Ok, Raven wasn't just smiling. She was also laughing, alongside Beast Boy, as they'd finished each other's sentences like any close couple.

"Why do I get the feeling we missed out on something big and earth-shattering?..." Robin asked.

"I don't know man... I..." Cyborg turned to face his leader, and then, he started to snicker to himself.

"What is it now?" Robin asked confusedly.

When Cyborg didn't immediately answer, however, he looked down at himself and- "Wait! What the hell happened to my uniform!?"

All of them laughed this time. "You look like a mature dork dude!" Beast Boy yelled immaturely.

"Robin, you look… the glorious in that." Starfire struggled to hold back her giggling at Robin's new wardrobe of choice.

"That's it! I want explanations now!" Robin yelled angrily.

Cyborg pulled out a camera. "And I want pictures for future blackmail!"

Yep, even though they'd just been returned to normal without any memory of prior events, Cyborg had his priorities straight.

Get answers. Get blackmail of their glorious leader.

It was obvious which was more important right now.

"Eep!" Robin yelled in fright.

The laughter continued as a picture-taking spree of everyone and everything spread throughout the hallways of the Watchtower.

Author's Notes:

Hey all. All that's left now is the Epilogue. I had a choice between two different ones. And after thinking about it, I decided to scrap the original one I had planned. It was just a little too much in line with other Epilogues I've written in the past.

And besides, after thinking about it, after taking so long to finish this, I decided I'd like the next chapter and the Epilogue contained therein to capture that 'Teen Titans' spirit. So instead of going years in the future, it's going to be set six months after this mess is over.

I hope you all have enjoyed the ride. And I look forward to finally, at last, capping off this beast of a work.

Till Next Time

Allen